Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has issued directives to start an anti-encroachment operation in the city to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
The operation would start from Karachi’s District South. A letter was written to the South deputy commissioner (DC) by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) anti-encroachment director earlier this week, in which the DC was conveyed that a law and order situation could arise with the anti-encroachment operation.
The DC was requested to provide an “adequate police force to maintain law and order and to avoid any untoward incident.” He was also requested to provide magisterial assistance between April 23, Tuesday, and April 27, Saturday. The operation would start from Karachi’s Saddar Town, Light House, MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, II Chundrigar Road, Numaish, Empress Market and Kharadar areas.
The anti-encroachment operation would take place against cabins, pushcarts and other installations on road hampering the traffic movement. Next week, the mayor said, a similar operation would be initiated in other districts of the city.
The mayor said there would be no compromise on the beauty of the city. He added that flags and banners were being removed from various highways and roads without any discrimination so that beauty of the city could be restored.
Following the directives of the mayor, the city wardens department of the KMC has removed all kinds of flags and banners on Sharea Faisal from the airport to the Governor's House. Similar operations have been carried out on Shahrah-e-Quaideen, from Clifton Do Talwar roundabout to the Clifton Bridge and Metropole and from the Cantt Station to the PIDC.
KMC officials also removed flags and banners from Kashmir Road, near the IBA City Campus, Numaish and Peoples Chowrangi. Additionally, the process of removing all sorts of wall chalking around the main highways is also going on.